GUITAR AMPLIFIER BUILDING BASICS EP. 01

[@billsutherland9193]

Thanks! I found this video very informative. I watch this kind of stuff all the time and am enjoying yours. I'm looking forward to this series.

[@atech9020]

If you have suggestions, please feel free to leave a comment. I ramble a bit, so I know it is hard to sit through some of this, but the Data is good. I'm working on getting things shorter and fitting more data in.

[@RAfiote2]

How did that auction go for the amp you built? Got some good offers for it?

[@atech9020]

@@RAfiote2 TBH, not as good as I had hoped. I am not famous by any stretch of the imagination. So, at a local wine tasting & fund raising event, I had probably the least interesting auction item. The item was sold to a friend of mine for $600+ the cost of entry. The event raised over $140,000, and I was just one small part of it. The nice thing is that because my friend won the auction for my amp, I get to " borrow " it at will. Sad state of affairs when you consider that just in parts alone, there was at minimum $700 in that build. The speaker was $200, and we didn't even touch my time spent building it. I figure I put about 100 hours into it including design time and building the cabinet etc. Thank you for your interest, and perhaps it will be on another auction block some day with a higher bidding price?

[@fabianreyes237]

I want to build my own amp!! I will follow your advice thoroughly

[@bonzology322]

wire wound resistors have the lowest amount of noise and hiss, carbon comp in the right places are great, their instability is what makes them great, dale vishay are my fav metal films

[@nicholasbarile5492]

Mega helpful! Ty for this! More please!!!

[@joerushing1593]

Good tips. Thanks!

[@AradijePresveti]

Tolerances, tolerances, tolerances! It's the most important thing when building anything.

[@juansolanas]

Great video thank you!!!

[@LeviBulger]

You really should try to source some good ceramics to use in lieu of silver micas for high peaks. I think they sound 100x better. Im also with you on F&T and sozo caps. They're fantastic.

[@atech9020]

My only gripe with ceramics is that they can be microphonic. Aside from that, I don’t really have anything against either form of capacitor. They do sound different, but only barely. Hence my statement of pick one and be happy. Neither is going to make or break the amp. I suppose my experience with truly vintage amps is limited, and therefore not conclusive to my feelings of the choice to use, but in my 30 years of playing I cannot say that x amp built x way, was better because it had x, y, z within it. The amp either inspired me, or didn’t. My experience with designing and building amps is more based around practicality, ease of sourcing parts, and does it sound good. I am not trying to be elusive, mysterious, or have some black magic to sell these things. It is genuine, it is truthful, and not slathered with snake oil. That is all I try to do.

[@sempercompellis]

unspotted (nonpotted) pickups tend to be microphonic- but that's the sound...@@atech9020

[@JB-68]

Nice video. Could you please provide us your prefered web suppliers, and if possbile one in EU ?

[@atech9020]

I personally use Antique Electronics Supply, Tube Depot, Amazon, or eBay. For the EU, you should have some good luck with Tube-Town, Tube Amp Doctor, and Modulus Amplification.

[@camielkotte]

​@@atech9020 tonefactory in Netherlands maybe?

[@DannyDKNYC]

Great stuff. Thanks for getting specific. Exactly what I was looking for. So is it your opinion that differences of capacitors are in + or - specs, noise level and lifespan? If we hold that to be true, how can we make a new amp sound like a classic vintage one? You think it ultimately comes down to Speaker and transformers that are pushed to their capacity? Tubes?

[@atech9020]

Vintage anything has a Value, that may or may not be in " Spec ". So how to make a Vintage correct amp with truly mordern parts is not an easy task. Those that claim they can, are selling you on something. How can you reference against it? You can't..... Speakers are where it is truly at; if you want to change the sound of your amp, change the speaker cab. A good sounding amp, sounds good, vintage or not.

[@blasher4]

Which ones do you think would be better for higher gain amps?? Thx!

[@atech9020]

Honestly, just pick one. I say forget about carbon comp, but that is me. As for Caps, just pick one, the difference will not make or break the amp. The design and layout will though.

[@joerivera3222]

13:40 far better

[@markgrimm3564]

where do you buy the dale vashey and do you use 1/2 watt in your builds or 1watt only

[@atech9020]

The Dale Vishay resistors can be found at Digikey, or at Tube Depot. I get them from Tube Depot. They are rated for 1 watt below a certain temperature, and are advertised as 1/2 watt though. 1/2 watt is more than enough for 90% of the amp though. The only reason to go up in wattage for most parts of the amp is to lower the noise floor. In the case of metal film, the noise floor is considerably lower than carbon film, and extremely low compared to carbon composition.

[@DylanWOWilliams]

I’m more confused than before I watched this. Ahha

[@drcidd8153]

I honestly can't get behind you recommending a more expensive but also inferior capacitor.

[@atech9020]

Keep in mind the reasoning. It is a hard sell to place a radial, where an axial works best, and to a buyer that wants contemporary parts in their boutique build. I leave you with the knowing that there is a better option, not that you MUST use F&T. I'm not selling anything, so you can use what you please. You take the keys and do as you will.

[@johnterpack3940]

Strikes me a bit strange you didn't talk about cap construction like you did with resistors. Ceramic caps have all the same problems as carbon composition resistors. They are garbage for an audio application. Metalized film caps are superior in every way.

[@atech9020]

I pushed off that segment because it is a mixed bag. There are so many types, brands, and levels of quality, that you can't really quantify it. That is why I go with the " just choose one " mantra. Ceramics do suck, but they also do have a place. Same goes for Silver Mica caps, very good at some things, but they are prone to failure. I may do a video that is more indepth about why you would choose X over Y, but for now, I want to keep it simple for everyone.

[@LeviBulger]

Weird how we all perceive things differently. I personally can't stand metal film because of its sterility. I hate carbon comp for the reasons you said as well, but i have to admit it does sound fantastic. Carbon film is basically right in between for me and usually what i use for most parts of a build. There are definitely times that metal film actually is the perfect solution and same for the others. If im working on a modern amp that needs to sound modern, metal film tends to be the way to go. But i will NEVER use them in a vintage amp for how drastically they change an amp's tonal characteristics, particularly in the high end. I know everyone hates hiss, but when you're on stage or playing with a band in general, hiss doesn't matter whatsoever. But for a modern amp or if you're trying to make an amp that can sell, hiss is definitely a bad thing to most people who wouldn't understand maybe why an amp needs to hiss in today's world.

[@atech9020]

As a sound engineer of 20+ years I have come to learn one thing is certain. Sound is 100% subjective. What one person may think is angels singing, another will think is dying cats falling from the sky. Who is right? Does it even matter? It’s not easy to be simple, and being complex doesn’t add any value. Which is why I preach that you simply have to pick one. Whatever justification you need, just pick one. My mantra is: Quiet, no hum, no hiss, over-engineered yet practical and non interactive tone controls. 100% hand made amp and shell, with visible chassis.

[@5barkerstreet]

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